Cthulhu
: Vhoorl, 23rd nebula |origin = Outer space |powers = Superhuman Strength, Nigh Invulnerability, Flight, Madness Manipulation, Immortality, Telepathy, Reality Manipulation |relatives = *Azathoth (great-great-grandfather) *Yog-Sothoth (grandfather) *Shub-Niggurath (grandmother) *Nug (parent) and : *Hastur the Unspeakable (half-brother) *Ghatanothoa (offspring) *Ythogtha (offspring) *Zoth-Ommog (offspring) *Cthylla (offspring) *T'ith (offspring) *Kthanid (brother) *Cthaeghya (half-sister) *Hnarqu (brother) *Kassogtha (sister) *Nctosa (offspring) *Nctolhu (offspring) *Leviathan(offspring) |spouse = : *Idh-yaa *Kassogtha |affiliations = Great Old Ones |race = Great Old Ones |first = : "The Call of Cthulhu" |appearances = : * "The Call of Cthulhu" * "The Nameless City" * "The Dunwich Horror" * "At the Mountains of Madness" * "The Whisperer in Darkness" * "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" |created by = H.P. Lovecraft |name = Cthulhu }} |''The Call of Cthulhu''}} Cthulhu is a Great Old One of great power that lies in a death-like slumber beneath the Pacific Ocean in his sunken city of R'lyeh. He remains a dominant presence in the eldrich dealings on our world. Quotations : "The Call of Cthulhu, Abdul Alhazred}} : "The Call of Cthulhu", Castro on the nature of the Old Ones}} : "The Call of Cthulhu", Castro on the Cthulhu Cult}} : "The Call of Cthulhu"}} Description The most detailed descriptions of Cthulhu in "The Call of Cthulhu" are based on statues of the creature. One, constructed by an artist after a series of baleful dreams, is said to have "yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature ... A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings." ( : The Call of Cthulhu) Another, recovered by police from a raid on a murderous cult, "represented a monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind." ( : The Call of Cthulhu) Castro, a Cthulhu cultist reports that the Great Old Ones are telepathic and "knew all that was occurring in the universe." They were able to communicate with the first humans by "moulding their dreams," thus establishing the Cthulhu Cult, but after R'lyeh had sunk beneath the waves, "the deep waters, full of the one primal mystery through which not even thought can pass, had cut off the spectral intercourse." ( : The Call of Cthulhu) Worshippers It is unknown how large the throng of those who worship the dreaded Cthulhu is, but his cult has many cells around the globe. The cult is noted for chanting its horrid phrase or ritual: "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn," which translates as "In his house at R'lyeh dead C'thulhu waits dreaming." ( : The Call of Cthulhu) This is often shortened to "Cthulhu fhtagn," which might possibly mean "Cthulhu waits," "Cthulhu dreams,"Will Murray, "Prehuman Language in Lovecraft", in Black Forbidden Things, Robert M. Price, ed., p. 42. or "Cthulhu waits dreaming."Marsh, Philip "R'lyehian as a Toy Language - on psycholinguistics" When the creature finally appears, the story says that the "thing cannot be described," but it is called "the green, sticky spawn of the stars", with "flabby claws" and an "awful squid-head with writhing feelers." Johansen's phrase "a mountain walked or stumbled" gives a sense of the creature's scale. ( : The Call of Cthulhu) This is corroborated by Wilcox's dreams, which "touched wildly on a gigantic thing 'miles high' which walked or lumbered about". Cthulhu is depicted as having a worldwide cult centred in Arabia, with followers in regions as far-flung as Greenland and Louisiana. ( : The Call of Cthulhu) The cult is noted for chanting its horrid phrase or ritual: "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh C'thulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn," which translates as "In his house at R'lyeh dead C'thulhu waits dreaming." ( : The Call of Cthulhu) This is often shortened to "C'thulhu fhtagn," which might possibly mean "C'thulhu waits," "C'thulhu dreams,"Will Murray, "Prehuman Language in Lovecraft", in Black Forbidden Things, Robert M. Price, ed., p. 42. or "C'thulhu waits dreaming."Marsh, Philip "R'lyehian as a Toy Language - on psycholinguistics" There are leaders of the cult "in the mountains of China" who are said to be immortal. Cthulhu is described by some of these cultists as the "great priest" of "the Great Old Ones who lived ages before there were any men, and who came to the young world out of the sky." ( : The Call of Cthulhu) Cthulhu is also worshiped by the nonhuman creatures known as Deep Ones. ( : "The Shadow Over Innsmouth") History Cthulhu is mentioned in other sources, sometimes described in ways that appear to contradict information given the most well-known accounts. For example, rather than including Cthulhu among the Great Old Ones, a quotation from the Necronomicon says of the Old Ones, "Great Cthulhu is Their cousin, yet can it spy Them only dimly." ( : "The Dunwich Horror") But different Lovecraft stories and characters use the term "Old Ones" in widely different ways. Human explorers in Antarctica discovered an ancient city, for example, where the Old Ones are described as a species of extraterrestrials, also known as Elder Things, who were at war with Cthulhu and his relatives or allies. The discoverers of the Elder Things were able to puzzle out a history from sculptural records: : "At the Mountains of Madness"}} William Dyer, part of the Antarctic expedition, also notes that "the Cthulhu spawn ... seem to have been composed of matter more widely different from that which we know than was the substance of the Antarctic Old Ones. They were able to undergo transformations and reintegrations impossible for their adversaries, and seem therefore to have originally come from even remoter gulfs of cosmic space ... The first sources of the other beings can only be guessed at with bated breath." He notes, however, that "the Old Ones might have invented a cosmic framework to account for their occasional defeats."( : At the Mountains of Madness) Other stories have the Elder Things' enemies repeat this cosmic framework. In another account, ( : "The Whisperer in Darkness") there is a reference to "the fearful myths antedating the coming of man to the earth–the Yog-Sothoth and Cthulhu cycles–which are hinted at in the Necronomicon." That suggests that Cthulhu is one of the entities worshiped by the alien Mi-go race, and repeats the Elder Things' claim that the Mi-go share his unknown material compositions. Cthulhu's advent is also connected, in some unknown fashion, with supernovae: "I learned whence Cthulhu first came, and why half the great temporary stars of history had flared forth." The story mentions in passing that some humans call the Mi-Go "the old ones" ( : "The Whisperer in Darkness") Investigations into the cult activity in Innsmouth, Massachusetts has revealed that Cthulhu is also worshiped by the nonhuman creatures known as Deep Ones ( : "The Shadow Over Innsmouth") The priest Kathulos ( : "Skull-Face") is Cthulhu ( : Selected Letters 3.421, "The Whisperer in Darkness") Rather than including Cthulhu among the Great Old Ones, a quotation from the Necronomicon states of the Old Ones, "Great Cthulhu is Their cousin, yet can it spy Them only dimly." ( : "The Dunwich Horror") But the term "Old Ones" is often used in widely different ways: According to one account, the Old Ones are a species of extraterrestrials, also known as Elder Things, who were at war with Cthulhu and his relatives or allies. ( : At the Mountains of Madness) Human explorers in Antarctica discover an ancient city of the Elder Things and puzzle out a history from sculptural records: |''At the Mountains of Madness}} William Dyer also notes that "the Cthulhu spawn ... seem to have been composed of matter more widely different from that which we know than was the substance of the Antarctic Old Ones. They were able to undergo transformations and reintegrations impossible for their adversaries, and seem therefore to have originally come from even remoter gulfs of cosmic space ... The first sources of the other beings can only be guessed at with bated breath." He notes, however, that "the Old Ones might have invented a cosmic framework to account for their occasional defeats." ( : ''At the Mountains of Madness) Other accounts have the Elder Things' enemies repeat this cosmic framework. According to one, "the fearful myths antedating the coming of man to the earth–the Yog-Sothoth and Cthulhu cycles–which are hinted at in the Necronomicon." That suggests that Cthulhu is one of the entities worshipped by the alien Mi-go race, and repeats the Elder Things' claim that the Mi-go share his unknown material compositions. Cthulhu's advent is also connected, in some unknown fashion, with supernovae: "I learned whence Cthulhu first came, and why half the great temporary stars of history had flared forth." Some humans call the Mi-Go "the old ones".( : At the Mountains of Madness) Family With the revelation of writing detailing his relations, we have learned that Cthulhu descends from Yog-Sothoth, possibly having been born on Vhoorl, in the 23rd Nebula. He mated with Idh-yaa on the planet Xoth. His offspring are Ghatanothoa, Ythogtha, Zoth-Ommog, and Cthylla. ( : The Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia (3rd ed.)) Family tree According to correspondence between Lovecraft and fellow author James F. Morton, Cthulhu's parent is the deity Nug, itself the offspring of Yog-Sothoth and Shub-Niggurath. Lovecraft includes a fanciful family tree in which he himself descends from Cthulhu via Shaurash-ho, Yogash the Ghoul, K'baa the Serpent, and Ghoth the Burrower. ( : Selected Letters of H. P. Lovecraft 4.617). Associated Materials Gallery Cthulhu_sketch_by_Lovecraft.jpg|Lovecraft's drawing Tumblr pv5k21FfXu1vuts7go2 r1 1280.jpg|The front view of Cthulhu Tumblr pv5k21FfXu1vuts7go1 1280.jpg|The back view of Cthulhu Cthulhu_(Éditions_Sans-Détour).jpg|Cthulhu (Call of Cthulhu, French version) cthulhu.jpg 5b1d071c622d3bb26b6c26a80d80534e.jpg Cthulhu_(Permuted_Press).jpg|Cthulhu battling US Navy (Cthulhu Unbound 3) Cthulhu_2_(Andrée_Wallin).jpg Cthulhu_(Andrée_Wallin).jpg Avatar_of_Cthulhu_(Dust_Studio).jpg|Avatar of Cthulhu (Dust 1947) Cthulhu_(Richard_Luong).jpg Cthulhu_2_(Richard_Luong).png Cthulhu_3_(Richard_Luong).jpg Cthulhu_(Fantasy_Flight_Games).jpg|Cthulhu (Fantasy Flight Games) Cthulhu_(Petersen_Games).jpg|Cthulhu (Cthulhu Wars) Cthulhu_2_(Petersen_Games).jpg|Cthulhu (Cthulhu Wars) Cthulhu_(Rise_of_Cthulhu).jpg|Cthulhu (Rise of Cthulhu) 429434-GreatCthulhu1.jpg Cthulhu_(Dynamite_Entertainment).jpg Cthulhu_(Paizo_Inc).jpg|Cthulhu (Pathfinder) cthulhurlyeh.jpeg Cthulhu_(Megami_Tensei).jpg|Cthulhu (Megami Tensei) Cthulhu.png|Cthulhu, as it appears in Russell's Guide (merzo.net) 66-cthulhu.jpg Cthulhu_(Avatar_Press).jpg|Cthulhu (Providence) Cthulhu_2_(Avatar_Press).jpg|Cthulhu 2 (Providence) Cthulhu_3_(Avatar_Press).jpg|Cthulhu (Neonomicon) HickmanCthulhu.jpg|Stephen Hickman's sculpture of Cthulhu Cthulhuagainoncemore1.jpg --Ultimate Cthulhu--.png Cthulhu_(Marvel_Comics).jpg|Cthulhu (Moon Knight) Cthulhu-possessed_Black_Widow_(TinyCo).jpg|Cthulhu-possessed Black Widow (Marvel Avengers Academy) Cthulhu_(Demonbane).jpg|Cthulhu (Demonbane) Cthulhu_(Archie_Comics).jpg|Cthulhu (Archie Comics) Cthulhu_(South_Park).jpg|Cthulhu (South Park) Cthulhu_(Simpsons).jpg|Cthulhu (Simpsons) Cthulhu_(TSR).jpg|Cthulhu (Dungeons & Dragons) Cthulhu_(Grim_Adventures_of_Bill_&_Mandy).jpg|Cthulhu (Grim Adventures of Bill & Mandy) 01_Cthulhu.png Gallery of Pastiches of Cthulhu Eldritch or demonic tentacled beings that somewhat look like Cthulhu and/or they have similar lore (imprisoned in a dimension and/or an island civilization that sunk, and who a cult or monstrous followers are trying to release). Chthon_(Carnage_Vol_2).jpg|Chthon (Marvel) Slorioth_(Marvel_Comics).jpg|Slorioth (Marvel) Quoggoth_(Marvel_Comics).jpg|Quoggoth (Marvel) Cathulhu_(Ghostbusters_cartoon).jpg|Cathulhu (Ghostbusters) Ichthultu_(Justice_League_cartoon).jpg|Ichtulhu (Justice League) Dweller_in_Darkness_(Marvel_Comics).jpg|Dweller in Darkness (Marvel) Night_God_(DC_Comics).jpg|Night God (The Bold & the Brave) Syththunu_(Justice_League_of_America_Vol_2_56).jpg|Syththunu, an Elder God (DC Comics) N'Zoth_(Warcraft).jpg|N'Zoth (Warcraft) Illyria_(Buffy).jpg|Illyria, an Old One (Buffy) Marit_Lage_(Magic_the_Gathering).jpg|Marit Lage (Magic the Gathering) Dagon_(Ben_10_cartoon).jpg|Dagon (Ben 10) Vilgax_(Ben_10_cartoon).jpg|Vilgax (Ben 10) Illithid_(Forgotten_Realms).jpg|Illithid, aka Mind Flayer (Forgotten Realms) Moridun_(Marvel_Comics).jpg|Moridun (Marvel) Octomus_the_Master_(Power_Rangers).jpg|Octomus the Master (Power Rangers) Karkull_(Superman_cartoon).jpg|Karkull (Superman) Uluath_(Marvel_Comics).jpg|Uluath (Marvel) Ghatanothoa_(Ultraman).jpg|Ghatanothoa (Ultraman) Lord_of_the_Deep_(Palladium_Books).jpg|Lord of the Deep (Palladium Books) Sadu-Hem_(Dark_Horse_Comics).jpg|Sadu Hem (Hellboy) Behind the Mythos * George Olshevsky named the nonconvex snub polyhedra after some other Great Old Ones, with the Great inverted snub icosidodecahedron as "Cthulhu". Name Lovecraft transcribed the pronunciation of Cthulhu as Khlûl'-hloo, although S. T. Joshi points out, however, that Lovecraft gave several differing pronunciations on different occasions. ( : The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories) |''Selected Letters V}} According to Lovecraft, this is merely the closest that the human vocal apparatus can come to reproducing the syllables of an alien language."Cthul-Who?: How Do You Pronounce 'Cthulhu'?", Crypt of Cthulhu #9 Long after Lovecraft's death, the pronunciation kə-TH'oo-loo became common, and the game Call of Cthulhu endorsed it. Artistic imagery Cthulhu has served as direct inspiration for many modern artists and sculptors. Prominent artists that produced renderings of this creature include, but are not limited to, Paul Carrick, Stephen Hickman, Kevin Evans, Dave Carson, Francois Launet and Ursula Vernon. Multiple sculptural depictions of Cthulhu exist, one of the most noteworthy being Stephen Hickman's Cthulhu Statue which has been featured in the Spectrum annualBurnett, Cathy "Spectrum No. 3:The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art" and is exhibited in display cabinets in the John Hay Library of Brown University of Providence. This statue of Cthulhu often serves as a separate object of inspiration for many works, most recent of which are the Cthulhu Worshiper AmuletsCthulhu charms on-sale in Russia manufactured by a Russian jeweler. For some time, replicas of Hickman's Cthulhu Statuette were produced by Bowen Designs,"Other Lovecraftian Products", The H.P. Lovecraft Archive but are currently not available for sale. Today Hickman's Cthulhu statue can only be obtained on eBay and other auctions. References de: es: Category:Characters Category:Great Old Ones Category:Marvel (Cthulhu Mythos) Category:Doctor Who (Cthulhu Mythos) Category:Pathfinder (Cthulhu Mythos) Category:Wonderland (Cthulhu Mythos) Category:Dynamite (Cthulhu Mythos) Category:Hyborian (Cthulhu Mythos)